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November 27, 2013:

THE DAY I DID NOT HAVE THE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER THING

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I must write these here notes in a hurry because I must be up by seven to take my motor car in for servicing.  Hopefully the neighbors to the north of me will not be hanging out in their yard with their friends until three in the morning, which is what they did last night, yakking and laughing and slamming doors.  I guess they think they’re completely isolated from all other houses, but another night of it will tell them differently and very vociferously at that.

Yesterday was a day that happened.  I woke up at nine-thirty – not enough sleep thanks to the noisy neighbors.  I stayed in bed until ten and then got up and answered e-mails and traipsed around the home environment.  Then I met Kay Cole for an early lunch.  We discussed how to slightly restage her opening number, then went through the show and figured out how to remove six more blackouts – the show seems to have an interesting flow the less we have, although some fades and blackouts are needed.  Then we went over the one-act version and I ran a couple of ideas by her for changes, which she liked.  Then we talked about the two-act version and that also contained several adjustments.  We’ll try both versions next Tuesday and Wednesday to see which feels best, but I think no matter which we go with, if it ends up being the one-act version, the little changes we’ve made to the order should work nicely and give it a slightly better flow.  Then we discussed minor restaging of a couple of solo numbers and were in agreement on those.  I had a ham and Swiss on rye and no fries or onion rings.  After that, I decided since I’d only eaten about four hundred calories, that I’d have a treat from K’s Donuts, my mighty chocolate peanut butter thing.  So, I drove over there only to find that some piece of dog snot had come in earlier and bought them all.  Dear Piece of Dog Snot – you are a JERK.  So, I got something else instead but it couldn’t replace what I wanted.  Then I picked up no packages and came home and sat on my couch like so much fish.

Yesterday, I finished watching a motion picture on Blu and Ray, an import from Italy entitled Mr. Arkadin, a film by Orson Welles.  I’ve had the Criterion DVD since it came out – that package contains three completely different versions of the film and it was such a daunting prospect to figure out which to watch that I watched none.  What’s present on the Eyetalian Blu-ray is the version called Confidential Report, which was what was seen by most of the world when the film came out.  Welles wasn’t actually fully involved in any of the versions for reasons that will be familiar to any film buff who knows Welles’s peculiarities.  Confidential Report is strikingly filmed, the editing is really herky-jerky and downright bad at times (again, nothing to do with Welles and everything to do with his producer), the dubbing is atrocious, but as with all Welles films, you can’t take your eyes off it.  The story is blah, but it’s just so weird and quirky that one kind of goes with it for its ninety-eight minute running time. In the end, not one of his great films, but definitely worth watching.  I may check out one of the other versions on the Criterion set at some point.

After that, I buckled down, Winsocki and spent the rest of the afternoon doing two complicated edit road maps for two December end of year projects.  We should have another four releases between now and the end of the year, at least that’s the hope.  After that I was zonked, so once again I sat on my couch like so much fish.

Last night, I watched the first episode of the new season of Downton Abbey, which I gather doesn’t start airing here in the US until January.  I got the entire season on Blu-ray from the UK.  It took a while for it to get going, but it ended up being an excellent episode – of course lots of returning characters, and some new ones.  Maggie Smith continues her delightful ways and has many excellent quips.  The show looks great, the music is wonderful, and it’s just a terrific series and I hope the other seven episodes are equally good.

After that, I watched the first twenty-five minutes of The Best Years of Our Lives.  I will be the first to admit that I’m a complete emotional wreck five minutes into the film and I remain so for the entire duration.  Every time I have to listen to someone tell me about how brilliant some new film is, and then I see the film and its anything but brilliant, I harken back to movies like The Best Years of Our Lives.  There is no movie I’ve seen in the last two decades that comes within a country mile of Best Years.  The writing, directing, camerawork, performances – all perfection every step of the almost three-hour film.  The pace is also perfection and you never feel like the movie is overstaying its welcome, nor is there one single second you could cut without hurting something.  But it’s the emotional pull of the thing that’s so amazing.  If you do not have tears in your eyes at the homecoming scene with Harold Russell and his parents and girlfriend, then I would think that there’s no scene in any film that would get to you.  It’s profoundly moving on so many levels and just seeing it again on this very nice Blu-ray reduced me to a puddle of tears.  And the score of Hugo Friedhofer remains my favorite film score of all time.  I’ll finish it today.

After that, I went to Gelson’s and got a snack – some tomatoes and mozzarella from the salad bar, and some Chinese slaw – low-calorie for sure.  I came home, ate it all up, and did stuff on the computer.

Today, I shall be up no later than seven and on my way to the Infiniti dealer in the Dale of Glen for my servicing.  It should take only an hour, although if they have to program this one thing that’s behaving weirdly, it could take an additional forty-five minutes.  Either way, I should be done no later than ten, after which I’ll come directly home.  I’ll start liner notes number four, finish the movie, eat, hopefully pick up some overdue packages, and then I’m seeing our very own Barry Pearl in Twelve Angry Men at the Pasadena Playhouse.  We’ll go out after.

Tomorrow is, of course, the Giving of Thanks and I’ll be sleeping in, watching motion pictures (and perhaps a couple of Twilight Zone episodes for old times sake), and then supping at Barry Pearl’s Thanksgiving Do.  Friday I relax all day and night, at least that’s the hope.  Saturday is our stumble-through, and Sunday is sound check and show.  Oh, and it will be December.  How did that happen?

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, have the motor car serviced, write liner notes, hopefully pick up packages, eat, and then see Twelve Angry Men, after which I’ll see the sequel, Thirteen Laughing Women.  Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like.  So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, not having had the chocolate peanut butter thing I was so craving, thanks to the piece of dog snot who bought them all.

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